ATLANTA -- Strong storms were sweeping across south and central Georgia, part of a large storm system that dumped snow and sleet on the nation's midsection and unleashed damaging tornadoes in Alabama.

Georgia Power officials said early Wednesday morning that 5,400 customers were without power statewide. About 1,700 of them were in metro Atlanta.

Christmas Day forecasts included the chance of tornadoes in metro Atlanta, but the line of thunderstorms passed the city overnight with no widespread damage or injuries reported.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport spokeswoman Myrna White said early Wednesday morning that the world's busiest airport was operating normally. The airport's website shows a handful of cancelled flights from cities hard-hit by snow, including a pair of Delta flights that were to have arrived in Atlanta from Indianapolis on Wednesday.